Interview: Alexei Yashin

Q-3: Some of these changes can be attributed to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which has created equality in the league — at least much more so than there was in previous years. But the downside to the CBA is that the players have taken a pretty significant financial hit because of it. Are your feelings about the agreement conflicted? Is there a sense of disappointment?

It was tough, but it was everybody's loss. I mean, we lost a year, a season, and we took big pay cuts. But, now that we're partnered again with the NHL, hopefully the revenues will go up — the people will get excited about the product on the ice and bring more money in, and we'll see a percentage of that.

Q-4: Last year, during the NHL lockout, you spent 10 games playing in the Russian Super League [Russia's professional hockey league]. What was that like?

I played the last 10 games of the season with [Russian team] Lokomotiv Yaroslavl . It was a great experience for me because I hadn't played back home for so many years. A lot of my friends still played in the league; a lot of people I knew, and the fans were so excited to see us play and supportive of us. We did well too; we got the bronze medal. It was quite an experience for me.

Q-5: Would you ever consider playing in Russia full-time?

Well, I want to win the Stanley Cup, so I want to play in the National Hockey League. We'll see when the next lockout comes (laughs)!

Q-6: Another product of the CBA is that there is the possibility now that European teams could compete financially with the NHL; that with the new salary caps in place, they could feasibly lure free agents in. But you just mentioned the Stanley Cup — will the allure that comes with this trophy always give the NHL the upper hand over European clubs when it comes to landing players?

I think the allure isn't so much the Stanley Cup itself, but that the best players in the world are in the National Hockey League. You always want to compare yourself on this level, and compete against the best ones. But at the same time, the Stanley Cup is the biggest trophy you can win in hockey — there's no question about that.

Q-7: So when you were a kid, did you visualize yourself playing in the NHL?

When I was younger, we didn't really have much access to the NHL, so for everybody, the highest level was the Russian national team. A lot of things have changed since then; dreams changed as the [Russian politicial] situation changed.

Q-8: You spent your early NHL years playing in Ottawa. When you left there, it was your contract dispute with the team that got the lion's share of the attention. Contract disputes are fairly commonplace — why did yours draw so much of the spotlight?

It's tough to say... my contract situation wasn't something extra-special. In lots of professional and corporate settings, you have to deal with situations like that. But hockey fans and sports fans pay special attention to that [sort of thing].

The arbitrator said I had to wait my contract out in Ottawa, and that's exactly what I did: After my holdout, I came back to Ottawa, and then Ottawa decided to trade me to New York.

Q-9: And now you're Captain in New York. What do you think of the Islanders' prospects this season?

Well, the season's just started, and there are still a lot of issues with the new rules, and new penalties... stuff like that. There's still a lot of adjustment to be made. Sometimes the referees will call 10 penalties in a game; sometimes they'll call 25.

Q-10: But for you, as an open-ice kind of player, these new rules preventing clutching and grabbing must be great.

In some cases, it is, with less grabbing and clutching and stuff like that. But there are a lot more penalties now too, so you can't always take advantage [of the open ice].

Q-11: It's still early in the season, but can you name one team as the most talented one; the most intimidating one to play?

A lot of teams are very good. We have to take every team very seriously. With the new CBA and the new salary caps, every team is a challenge.

Q-12: Another big event in this year's NHL is the arrival of Sidney Crosby. Even before he dressed for his first game, this kid was being billed as the next Wayne Gretzky. Is this just marketing on the league's part, or is he the real deal?

I haven't played him yet. I've seen him play in the World Junior Championships, but I haven't seen him in any other games. But if somebody can bring so much media attention, he has to be good. I don't think it's a case of the league trying to push somebody who's not good. But at the same time, it's up to him to prove that he's the real deal.

Q-13: Your retirement is still quite a ways off, but have you thought about what you'd like to do after the NHL?

The biggest thing for me is to try to play as long as I can. I just want to focus on playing hockey and winning the Stanley Cup; I want to concentrate on playing for the New York Islanders.